New Fiction 2024 – January

“Osee” ed. Richard Challoner (1752)

I can’t go back to check what Osee was on about. All you need to know about this phase of the bible is guys were prophesying, and pretty much every prophecy is about how the Hebrew people were fuckin’ it up. This all feels like items in what should have been the appendix, but since I’m reading a Catholic bible it’s all just filler until JC shows up. (And we’re just under 70% after two solid years of gettin’ through it.)

“Joel” ed. Richard Challoner (1752)

Another dull prophet.

This Gray Spirit by Heather Jarman (2002)

I want to love every DS9 book. It’s a struggle to not enjoy them. But there’s a trend here in the Mission Gamma series of trying to do Too Much. The last book was very long, but also very focused, and the premise of taking the Defiant out into the Gamma quadrant sounds fine until they do it again… and again… and again. And it gets to the point where I just don’t care what they’re doing. I want DS9–the setting–and its beloved cast of characters to do their thing there. I’ll read on but this one really should have been two books instead of this A plot-B plot structure.

Divided We Fall by John J. Ordover, David Mack, Andrew Currie, Michael Collins, Richard Bennett, David Roach, John Nyberg, Jenna Garcia, WildStorm FX, Alex Sinclair, Jeff Mariotte (2001)

This one contrasted nicely against Revenant by Alex White. Both stories focus on Dax and how the Trill symbiont managers are real bad at transparency. The more I learn about this world, the more it sounds like a pretty clear caste system that should get them booted from the Federation. But then, I suffer the flaw of binary judgement, and there’s probably some nuance there to consider.

Gargoyles the Movie Game dev. Buena Vista Home Video (1995)

Wow, this was the most broken version of Chutes and Ladders I’ve ever played. I recommend a house rule of doubling each number on the spinner if you want any chance at winning. The event cards are just so punishing and the strict time limit makes it a steep uphill battle.

Gargoyles Remastered dev. Walt Disney Computer Software & Empty Clip Studios (1995, 2023)

I had a problem with input lag in the original version that ruined my initial impression, but that was on me. Playing the remaster with no input lag and the extra features like updated art, music, and the rewind all added up to a more enjoyable, if short, experience. It’s otherwise an interesting artifact from that transition out of 2D platformers and into chunky polygons and pre-rendered 3D visuals.

Gargoyles: Night Flight dev. Tiger Electronics (1995)

I’ve played a few of these mid-90s Tiger handhelds and it’s fine for a car ride, which is where I always imagine these things were played at the time. It’s so overly simple that I can’t say it’s worth playing, unlike the classic Game & Watch titles that had real challenge and replayability to them.

The Color Purple dir. Bazawule (2023)

I never caught the original movie or book, but this musical was great. And those events are some real fucked up trauma.

The Iron Claw dir. Sean Durkin (2023)

As period biopics go, this one’s fine. Not too wild or revelatory, other than its highlighting a segment of the wrestling scene which I had no idea about. The performances were all solid and Ephron clearly committed to the role. The story is from that period of simpler costumes and narratives before my friends and I came aboard in the later 80s and 90s, so it was neat to understand a fictionalized buildup to the more familiar stories.

Poor Things dir. Yorgos Lanthimos (2023)

It was great, stylized, and I suppose does have an act structure but it feels a little loose with it, which I’m all for. It just doesn’t match up to the amazing work in The Favorite.

Night Swim dir. Bryce McGuire (2024)

A snoozer, I’m afraid. The seed of it is interesting but it doesn’t quite grow enough to make it compelling.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom dir. James Wan (2023)

Another snoozer. It’s not as fun as the first one, and if these superhero things aren’t fun then what’re we doing here?

The Beekeeper dir. David Ayer (2024)

Yeah this was a rough stretch. Another action snoozer that maybe could have highlighted something interesting about exploitation of elders but just uses that as an excuse for Statham to go around punching dudes in a boring way.

I.S.S. dir. Gabriela Cowperthwaite (2023)

There’s this particular subgenre of space movie where people are just out there in their tin cans, then they’re stuck or screwed, and the drama plays out amid a desperate race to get out of that sitch. Hell, I will myself to sleep by conjuring a little scene I’ve developed where I’m out in my little space tug boat and need to shut down systems and go to sleep for the cycle. Gravity, Interstellar, and Life are all recent examples of this kind of movie that come to mind, and now we can add I.S.S. to that list. And I love these. I love space trouble. I ran into a bunch of these stories in my recent watch of The Outer Limits (1995), and I really can’t get enough. I.S.S. has this uncomfortable angle on what if Earth annihilates itself, huh, smart guy? (Art reflecting reality, etc.) And that’s a bummer to consider. But the story that plays out onboard the station is still neat and I would definitely watch this again.

Mean Girls dir. Samantha Jayne & Arturo Perez Jr. (2024)

Dug it! Maybe more than I did the original. Mostly because the musical sequences are great.

American Fiction dir. Cord Jefferson (2024)

Stories about writers can be a little too navel-gazey for me to handle, but I’m glad I caught this.

The Book of Clarence dir. Jeymes Samuel (2024)

It comes from the angle of true belief, so you have to buy into that going in, but the questions it raises and the general production all make it worth the watch. Plus, they tackle the question of why even is Jesus a white guy (well, we know why), so that makes it extra fun.

Battlestar Galactica – “Saga of a Star World” (1978)

Doofy? That’s the word. Definitely of its time, but I’m gonna get through it all later this year.

The Twilight Zone – “Shatterday” (1985)

Ey Bruce Willis being moody before that was his brand. I watched the 60s version and now I feel obligated to see what issues of the day were popping up for 80s TV people.

Stargate SG-1 – “Children of the Gods” (1997)

Oh, okay, I didn’t realize they were angling for the Showtime adult crowd with this. I was so used to the sanitized Saturday afternoon syndication version of the episodes. In any case, still a good start. Another show to watch in full later on.

Farscape – “Premiere” (1999)

Hm, more white guys as leads/captains isn’t as appealing, but the puppety goodness of Henson aliens compels me to continue.

Fringe – “Pilot” (2008)

Holy shit, those first five minutes! I knew immediately I’d enjoy this show, whatever it’s going to be. I heard enough good things that I figured I gotta.

Yellowstone – “Daybreak” (2018)

My mom wouldn’t stop talking about this show so now I’ll have to see what’s what. So far it’s Kevin Costner as an old asshole who raised his kids to also be assholes?

New Fiction 2023

I struggled with the idea that I need to keep up with everything new, when it’s evident that I don’t want to. Movies are easy thanks to subscription services like A-List (and a pathological need to get out of the house), but I was consistently happy to dwell in the past for reading and video games.

So I think I’ll be more chill about fiction this year. Just follow what feels right.

Previously: 2022202120202019201820172016201520142013

2023: JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Short Stories, Chapters, Excerpts

  • Jan – “Psalms” (1-100) ed. Richard Challoner (1752)
  • Jan – “The Husband Stitch” by Carmen Maria Machado (2017)
  • Jan – “Inventory” by Carmen Maria Machado (2017)
  • Jan – “Mothers” by Carmen Maria Machado (2017)
  • Jan – “Especially Heinous” by Carmen Maria Machado (2017)
  • Jan – “Real Women Have Bodies” by Carmen Maria Machado (2017)
  • Jan – “Eight Bites” by Carmen Maria Machado (2017)
  • Jan – “The Resident” by Carmen Maria Machado (2017)
  • Jan – “Difficult At Parties” by Carmen Maria Machado (2017)
  • Jan – “The First Peer” by Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore (2010)
  • Jan – “Reservoir Ferengi” by David McIntee (2010)
  • Jan – “The Slow Knife” by James Swallow (2010)
  • Jan – “The Unhappy Ones” by Keith R.A. DeCandido (2010)
  • Jan – “Freedom Angst” by Britta Burdett Dennison (2010)
  • Jan – “Revenant” by Marc D. Giller (2010)
  • Jan – “Work Is Hard” by Greg Cox (2010)
  • Feb – “Psalms” (101-150) ed. Richard Challoner (1752)
  • Mar – “Proverbs” ed. Richard Challoner (1752)
  • Mar – “Ecclesiastes” ed. Richard Challoner (1752)
  • Mar – “WPO” by Joanne McNeil (2022)
  • Mar – “Flesh” by Louis Evans (2022)
  • Mar – “Devolution” by Ellen Ullman (2022)
  • Mar – “Always Home” by Jeff Vandermeer (2022)
  • Apr – “Canticle of Canticles” ed. Richard Challoner (1752)
  • Apr – “Wisdom” ed. Richard Challoner (1752)
  • May – “Ecclesiasticus” ed. Richard Challoner (1752)
  • Jun – “Isaias” ed. Richard Challoner (1752)
  • Jul – “Jeremias” ed. Richard Challoner (1752)
  • Aug – “Lamentations of Jeremias” ed. Richard Challoner (1752)
  • Aug – “The Miracle of the Lily” by Clare Winger Harris (1928)
  • Aug – “The Conquest of Gola” by Leslie F. Stone (1931)
  • Aug – “The Black God’s Kiss” by C.L. Moore (1934)
  • Aug – “Space Episode” by Leslie Perri (1941)
  • Aug – “That Only a Mother” by Judith Merril (1948)
  • Aug – “In Hiding” by Wilmar H. Shiras (1948)
  • Aug – “Contagion” by Katherine MacLean (1950)
  • Aug – “The Inhabited Men” by Margaret St. Clair (1951)
  • Aug – “Ararat” by Zenna Henderson (1952)
  • Aug – “All Cats Are Gray” by Andrew North (1953)
  • Aug – “Created He Them” by Alice Eleanor Jones (1955)
  • Aug – “Mr. Sakrison’s Halt” by Mildred Clingerman (1956)
  • Aug – “All the Colors of the Rainbow” by Leigh Brackett (1957)
  • Aug – “Pelt” by Carol Emshwiller (1958)
  • Aug – “Car Pool” by Rosel George Brown (1959)
  • Aug – “For Sale, Reasonable” by Elizabeth Mann Borgese (1959)
  • Aug – “Birth of a Gardener” by Doris Pitkin Buck (1961)
  • Aug – “The Tunnel Ahead” by Alice Glaser (1961)
  • Aug – “The New You” by Kit Reed (1962)
  • Aug – “Another Rib” by John Jay Wells & Marion Zimmer Bradley (1963)
  • Aug – “When I Was Miss Dow” by Sonya Dorman (1966)
  • Aug – “Baby, You Were Great” by Kate Wilhelm (1967)
  • Aug – “The Barbarian” by Joanna Russ (1968)
  • Aug – “The Last Flight Of Dr. Ain” by James Tiptree, Jr. (1969)
  • Aug – “Nine Lives” by Ursula K. Le Guin (1969)
  • Sep – “Baruch” ed. Richard Challoner (1752)
  • Oct – “Snatched from the Brink” by Mary E. Penn (1878)
  • Oct – “The Canal” by Everil Worrell (1927)
  • Oct – “The Lost Performance of the High Priestess of the Temple of Horror” by Carmen Maria Machado (2020)
  • Oct – “The Time Remaining” by Attila Veres & trans. Luca Karafiáth (2019)
  • Oct – “CUE: Change” by Chesya Burke (2011)
  • Oct – “Last Call for the Sons of Shock” by David J. Schow (1994)
  • Oct – “The Real Right Thing” by Henry James (1899)
  • Oct – “The Haunted House” by M.A. Bird (1865)
  • Oct – “The Island of Regrets” by Elizabeth Walter (1965)
  • Oct – “The Stolen Body” by H.G. Wells (1903)
  • Oct – “The White Priest” by Hélène Gingold (1893)
  • Oct – “The Man Who Went Too Far” by E.F. Benson (1912)
  • Oct – “Mater Tenebrarum” by Pilar Pedraza & trans. James D. Jenkins (2000)
  • Oct – “Menopause” by Flore Hazoumé & trans. James D. Jenkins (1994)
  • Oct – “Señor Ligotti” by Bernardo Esquinca & trans. (2020)
  • Oct – “Shambleau” by C.L. Moore (1933)
  • Oct – “The Pit and the Pendulum” by Edgar Allan Poe (1850)
  • Oct – “The Village Spectre” by Gianna G. Maniego (2002)
  • Oct – “The Fog Horn” by Ray Bradbury (1951)
  • Oct – “The Lady of the House of Love” by Angela Carter (1979)
  • Oct – “The Woman’s Ghost Story” by Algernon Blackwood (1907)
  • Oct – “Black Bargain” by Robert Bloch (1942)
  • Oct – “Vastarien” by Thomas Ligotti (1987)
  • Oct – “The Doll” by Daphne du Maurier (1937)
  • Oct – “The Transferred Ghost” by Frank Stockton (1882)
  • Oct – “The Shadowy Third” by Ellen Glasgow (1923)
  • Oct – “The Daemon Lover” by Shirley Jackson (1949)
  • Oct – “The Interval” by Vincent O’Sullivan (1918)
  • Oct – “The Phantom Cyclist” by Ruth Ainsworth (1971)
  • Oct – “Couching at the Door” by D.K. Broster (1942)
  • Oct – “Bloodchild” by Octavia Butler (1984)
  • Dec – “Ezekiel” ed. Richard Challoner (1752)
  • Dec – “Daniel” ed. Richard Challoner (1752)

Audio Shorts

  • Jan – “The Briefcase” by Rebecca Makkai, performed by Victor Garber for NPR’s Selected Shorts (2009, 2023)
  • Jan – “Paradise” by Yxta Maya Murray, performed by Tanis Parenteau for NPR’s Selected Shorts (2020, 2023)
  • Oct – Tales from the Crypt Presents: Dead Easy by A.L. Katz & Gil Adler, performed by Sean Astin, Jake Busey, Tia Carrere, Brett Cullen, John Kassir (1995, 2022)

Novels & Novellas

  • Jan – Honor in the Night by Scott Pearson (2010)
  • Feb – Abyss by David Weddle & Jeffrey Lang (2001)
  • Mar – Demons of Air and Darkness by Keith R.A. DeCandido (2001)
  • Mar – Coraline by Neil Gaiman (2002)
  • Apr – Horn and Ivory by Keith R. A. DeCandido (2001)
  • Apr – Return to HorrorLand by R.L. Stine (1999)
  • May – We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds (2022)
  • Aug – Twilight by David R. George III (2002)
  • Aug – Are You Terrified Yet? by R.L. Stine (1998)
  • Sep – Creature Teacher by R.L. Stine (1998)
  • Sep – Invasion of the Body Squeezers – Part 1 by R.L. Stine (1998)
  • Sep – Invasion of the Body Squeezers – Part 2 by R.L. Stine (1998)
  • Sep – I’m Your Evil Twin! by R.L. Stine (1998)
  • Sep – Revenge R Us by R.L. Stine (1998)
  • Sep – Fright Camp by R.L. Stine (1998)
  • Sep – Headless Halloween by R.L. Stine (1998)
  • Sep – Attack of the Graveyard Ghouls by R.L. Stine (1998)
  • Sep – Brain Juice by R.L. Stine (1998)
  • Dec – Revenant by Alex White (2021)
  • Dec – Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (2023)
  • Dec – The Men by Sandra Newman (2023)
  • Dec – Aftermath by Christopher L. Bennett (2003)
  • Dec – Jekyll and Heidi by R.L. Stine (1999)

Gamebooks

  • Jan – Trapped in Bat Wing Hall by R.L. Stine (1995)
  • Jul – The Abominable Snowman by R. A. Montgomery (1982)
  • Aug – Tick Tock, You’re Dead! by R.L. Stine (1995)
  • Sep – The Deadly Experiments of Dr. Eeek by R.L. Stine (1996)
  • Sep – Night in Werewolf Woods by R.L. Stine (1996)
  • Sep – Beware of the Purple Peanut Butter by R.L. Stine (1996)

Plays

  • Jan – A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, presented by Rice University Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts (1595, 2013)

Poems

  • Jan – “Comet as Paperboy” by Samantha Blysse Haviland (2022)
  • Jan – “The Art of Negotiation” by Meghan Privitello (2016)
  • Apr – “A Boat” by Richard Brautigan (1968)
  • May – “Idaho” by Dobby Gibson (2005)

Comic Shorts & Single Issues

  • Jan – “Forest Spirits” by Secondlina (2022)
  • Jan – “Forest Spirits 2” by Secondlina (2022)
  • Jan – “With Sympathy” by Oglaf Comics (2017)
  • Jan – “it went like this” by chaumas-deactivated20230115 (2023)
  • Feb – “The Hole in the Wall” by Angela Hsieh (2022)
  • Mar – “It hurt, but i don’t regret it” by miggs perez (2023)
  • Mar – “Heaven, Heaven, Angel, Angel” by NoneToon (2023)
  • Mar – “A poem” by oddlyunadventurous (2023)
  • Apr – “Halt” by spiralshells (2023)
  • Apr – “Broomistega & Thrinaxodon” by Erin Roseberry (2023)
  • Jun – “A young couple have a strange encounter on a dark country road” by Iguanadon’t (2016)
  • Jul – “My Local Gas Station” by Ink (2018)
  • Jul – The Adventures of Mighty Max – “Mighty Max and the Grand Slam” by Robert Hudnut, Gary Hartle, Brett Koth, David C. Weiss, and Phil Roman (1994)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Trapped by Arachnoid” by Bluebird Toys (1992)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Liquidates the Ice Alien” by Bluebird Toys (1992)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Lashes Lizard” by Bluebird Toys (1994)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Traps Rattus” by Bluebird Toys (1994)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Outwits Cyclops” by Bluebird Toys (1993)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Tangles With the Ape King” by Bluebird Toys (1993)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Slays the Doom Dragon” by Bluebird Toys (1992)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Grapples with Battle Cat” by Bluebird Toys (1993)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Squishes Fly” by Bluebird Toys (1994)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Blows Up Dino Lab” by Bluebird Toys (1993)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Stings Scorpion” by Bluebird Toys (1993)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Crushes the Hand” by Bluebird Toys (1994)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Escapes from Skull Dungeon” by Bluebird Toys (1992)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Conquers the Palace of Poison” by Bluebird Toys (1992)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Sinks Nautilus” by Bluebird Toys (1994)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Caught by the Man-Eater” by Bluebird Toys (1993)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Bytes Cyberskull” by Bluebird Toys (1994)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Terminates Wolfship 7” by Bluebird Toys (1992)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Survives Corpus” by Bluebird Toys (1993)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Against Robot Invader” by Bluebird Toys (1992)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Zaps Beetlebrow” by Bluebird Toys (1994)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Crushes Talon” by Bluebird Toys (1994)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Out-Freaks Freako” by Bluebird Toys (1994)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Rams Hydron” by Bluebird Toys (1994)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Versus Kronosaur” by Bluebird Toys (1992)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Challenges Lava Beast” by Bluebird Toys (1992)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Tangles With Lockjaw” by Bluebird Toys (1993)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Defeats Vamp Biter” by Bluebird Toys (1992)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Fights Nuke Ranger” by Bluebird Toys (1992)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Pulverizes Sea Squirm” by Bluebird Toys (1992)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Battles Skull Warrior” by Bluebird Toys (1992)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Hammers Ax Man” by Bluebird Toys (1993)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Hounds Werewolf” by Bluebird Toys (1993)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Neutralises Zomboid” by Bluebird Toys (1992)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Defeats Battle Conqueror” by Bluebird Toys (1994)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Head to Head With Hydra” by Bluebird Toys (1994)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Melts Lava Beast” by Bluebird Toys (1994)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Strikes Fang” by Bluebird Toys (1994)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Shuts Down Cybot” by Bluebird Toys (1994)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Shatters Gargoyle” by Bluebird Toys (1994)
  • Aug – “Mighty Max Assaults Skull Master” by Bluebird Toys (1994)
  • Aug – “La-Mulana” by KC Green (2023)
  • Aug – “Mental Health Marge 2 Da Rescue” by ossian (2019)
  • Sep – “Hotline Miami” by KC Green (2023)
  • Sep – “I was told by my doctor that this’ll completely compensate my human meat diet” by scribblingchimp (2023)
  • Oct – “Birds of a Feather” by Stephanie Phillips, Maan House, Giorgio Spalleta, Justin Birch, Chris Sanchez (2021)
  • Oct – “The Origin of Vampirella” by Budd Lewis & Jose Gonzalez (1981)
  • Oct – “Do You Know… the Beast-Man?” by Richard Howell, Colleen Doran, Kevin Cunningham (1992)
  • Oct – “Good Ol’ Fashioned Vanilla” by W. Maxwell Prince, Chris O’Halloran, Martín Morazzo, Good Old Neon (2018)
  • Oct – “For Better or Worse?” by Richard Corben (2016)
  • Oct – “Werewolf!” by Frank Frazetta (1964)
  • Oct – “Chickadee!” by Aya Rothwell (2016)
  • Oct – “The Evil Dead” (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) by Richard Floyd-Walker (1986-1987)
  • Oct – “Famine’s Shadow” by Rachel Deering & Christine Larsen (2014)
  • Oct – “A Pretty Place” by Emily Carroll (2023)
  • Oct – “The Thing from the Sea” by Wally Wood & Joe Orlando (1951)
  • Oct – “The Living Ghost” by Frank Belknap Long & Fred Guardineer (1948)
  • Oct – “Essence of Life” by Gail Simone, Tula Lotay, Jared K. Fletcher (2013)
  • Oct – “Hag of the Blood Basket!” by Al Hewetson & Sean Todd (1971)
  • Oct – “The Fisherman” by Franco, Tressina Bowling, Wes Abbott, Sara Richard (2022)
  • Oct – “Dental Plan” by Joy San (2019)
  • Oct – “Frankenstein y el Hombre Lobo” by Unknown (1946)
  • Oct – “Man’s World” by Keith Giffen, Mary Sangiovanni, Bilquis Evely, Mat Lopes, Taylor Esposito (2017)
  • Oct – “Shadow of Death” by William M. Gaines, Al Feldstein, Graham Ingels (1953)
  • Oct – “Smoke and Cedar” by Abby Howard & Alina Pete (2016)
  • Oct – “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” by Harlan Ellison & John Byrne (1994-1995)
  • Oct – “A Dog and His Boy” by Evan Dorkin, Sarah Dyer, Jill Thompson, Jason Arthur (2006)
  • Oct – “The Horror Beneath” by Leah Moore, John Reppion, Timothy Green II, Michelle Madsen, Nate Piekos (2006)
  • Oct – “Shadows on the Tomb” by Joe Certa (1952)
  • Oct – “The Muck Monster” by Bernie Wrightson (1975)
  • Oct – “The Duel of the Monsters” by Archie Goodwin & Angelo Torres (1966)
  • Oct – “The Willowdale Handcar or The Return of the Black Doll” by Edward Gorey (1962)
  • Oct – “Inside You” by Valerie D’Orazio & David James Cole (2014)
  • Oct – “Soylent Teen” by Jordan Morris, Liana Kangas, Ellie Wright, Jack Morelli (2023)
  • Oct – “The Gris-Gris” by Jim Keegan & Ruth Keegan (2004)
  • Oct – “Fair Ground” by Jo Duffy, Mike Manley, Jackson Guice, James Fry, Kevin Cunningham (1992)
  • Dec – “> THE JESTER” by Margaut Shorjian (2023)

Graphic Novels & Collections

  • Jan – Simpsons Comics Colossal Compendium – Volume One (2013)
  • Mar – Star Trek Deep Space Nine: N-Vector (2000)

Betas & Demos

  • Jan – “Full Void Demo” dev. OutOfTheBit (2023)

Video & Electronic Games

  • Jan – Thunderbirds dev. Saffire (2004)
  • Feb – Men in Black: The Game dev. Gigawatt Studios & The Collective (1998)
  • Feb – The Game of Life dev. Mass Media & The Collective (1998)
  • Mar – Hack ‘n’ Slash dev. Double Fine Productions (2014)
  • Mar – God of War dev. Santa Monica Studio (2018)
  • Mar – Buffy the Vampire Slayer dev. The Collective (2002)
  • Apr – Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb dev. The Collective (2003)
  • Apr – Bartman: Avenger of Evil dev. Acclaim Entertainment (1991)
  • Apr – The X-Files: Resist or Serve dev. Black Ops Entertainment & The Collective (2004)
  • May – Bart Simpson’s Cupcake Crisis dev. Acclaim (1990)
  • May – Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith dev. The Collective (2005)
  • May – Marc Ecko’s Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure dev. The Collective (2006)
  • May – The Adventures of Mouth Man dev. Retrocade Media (2023)
  • Jun – Spacebase DF-9 dev. Double Fine Productions (2014)
  • Jul – Mighty Max dev. Tiger Electronics (1994)
  • Jul – The Adventures of Mighty Max dev. WJS Design (1995)
  • Oct – Haunted House dev. Atari (1982)
  • Oct – Castlevania dev. Konami (1987)
  • Oct – Clock Tower dev. Human Entertainment (1995)
  • Oct – D dev. Warp (1995)
  • Oct – Friday the 13th dev. Atlus (1989)
  • Oct – Silent Hill 3 dev. Konami (2003)
  • Oct – Five Nights at Freddy’s dev. Scott Cawthon (2014)
  • Dec – The Simpsons: Bart vs. Homersaurus dev. Tiger Electronics (1994)

Short Films

  • Jan – “bugs” dir. k. pakiz (2023)
  • Jan – “enter initials” dir. k. pakiz (2023)
  • Feb – “An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It” dir. Lachlan Pendragon (2022)
  • Feb – “The Flying Sailor” dir. Amanda Forbis & Wendy Tilby (2022)
  • Feb – “Ice Merchants” dir. João Gonzalez (2022)
  • Feb – “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” dir. Peter Baynton & Charlie Mackesy (2022)
  • Feb – “My Year of Dicks” dir. Sara Gunnarsdóttir (2022)
  • Feb – “Ivalu” dir. Anders Walter & Pipaluk K. Jørgensen (2022)
  • Feb – “Night Ride (Nattrikken)” dir. Eirik Tveiten (2020)
  • Feb – “Le Pupille” dir. Alice Rohrwacher (2022)
  • Feb – “The Red Suitcase” dir. Cyrus Neshvad (2022)
  • Feb – “An Irish Goodbye” dir. Tom Berkeley & Ross White (2022)
  • Apr – “The Greatest Living Show” dir. Toby Fox & Itoki Hana (2023)
  • Jun – “Wolf in sheep’s clothing” dir. Yea An (2023)
  • Jun – “War of Colors” dir. Emir Kumova (2022)
  • Jun – “Double King” dir. Felix Colgrave (2017)
  • Jun – “How Finding Nemo Should Have Ended” dir. HISHE (2016)
  • Jul – “What It Feels Like to Live as an Immortal?” dir. LazyOwl Studio (2022)
  • Sep – “Carl’s Date” dir. Bob Peterson (2023)

Movies Jan-Jun

  • Jan – Avatar: The Way of Water dir. James Cameron (2022)
  • Jan – Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody dir. Kasi Lemmons (2022)
  • Jan – Thunderbirds dir. Jonathan Frakes (2004)
  • Jan – M3GAN dir. Gerard Johnstone (2023)
  • Jan – Corsage dir. Marie Kreutzer (2022)
  • Jan – Broker dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda (2022)
  • Jan – Skinamarink dir. Kyle Edward Ball (2022)
  • Jan – Plane dir. Jean-François Richet (2023)
  • Jan – Missing dir. Will Merrick & Nick Johnson (2023)
  • Jan – That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime the Movie: Scarlet Bond dir. Yasuhito Kikuchi (2023)
  • Jan – A Man Called Otto dir. Marc Forster (2023)
  • Jan – Puss In Boots: The Last Wish dir. Joel Crawford (2022)
  • Jan – Women Talking dir. Sarah Polley (2022)
  • Feb – Groundhog Day dir. Harold Ramis (1993)
  • Feb – Infinity Pool dir. Brandon Cronenberg (2023)
  • Feb – 80 for Brady dir. Kyle Marvin (2023)
  • Feb – Magic Mike dir. Steven Soderbergh (2012)
  • Feb – Living dir. Oliver Hermanus (2022)
  • Feb – Magic Mike XXL dir. Gregory Jacobs (2015)
  • Feb – She Came from the Woods dir. Erik Bloomquist (2022)
  • Feb – Magic Mike’s Last Dance dir. Steven Soderbergh (2023)
  • Feb – Knock at the Cabin dir. M. Night Shyamalan (2023)
  • Feb – Sword Art Online the Movie -Progressive- Scherzo of Deep Night dir. Ayako Kono (2023)
  • Feb – Consecration dir. Christopher Smith (2023)
  • Feb – Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey dir. Rhys Waterfield (2023)
  • Feb – Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania dir. Peyton Reed (2023)
  • Feb – Johnny Mnemonic dir. Robert Longo (1995)
  • Feb – Virtuosity dir. Brett Leonard (1995)
  • Feb – Jesus Revolution dir. Jon Erwin & Brent McCorkle (2023)
  • Feb – Cocaine Bear dir. Elizabeth Banks (2023)
  • Feb – Gattaca dir. Andrew Niccol (1997)
  • Feb – Strange Days dir. Kathryn Bigelow (1995)
  • Feb – Kissed dir. Lynne Stopkewich (1996)
  • Feb – Richard III dir. Richard Loncraine (1995)
  • Feb – Eye for an Eye dir. John Schlesinger (1996)
  • Mar – Creed III dir. Michael B. Jordan (2023)
  • Mar – Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre dir. Guy Ritchie (2023)
  • Mar – RRR dir. S. S. Rajamouli (2022)
  • Mar – The Lawnmower Man dir. Brett Leonard (1992)
  • Mar – Scream VI dir. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett (2023)
  • Mar – 65 dir. Scott Beck & Bryan Woods (2023)
  • Mar – Shazam! Fury of the Gods dir. David F. Sandberg (2023)
  • Apr – A Good Person dir. Zach Braff (2023)
  • Apr – Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves dir. Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley (2023)
  • Apr – The Super Mario Bros. Movie dir. Aaron Horvath & Michael Jelenic (2023)
  • Apr – Air dir. Ben Affleck (2023)
  • Apr – John Wick: Chapter 4 dir. Chad Stahelski (2023)
  • Apr – Suzume dir. Makoto Shinkai (2023)
  • Apr – Mafia Mamma dir. Catherine Hardwicke (2023)
  • Apr – Renfield dir. Chris McKay (2023)
  • Apr – The Pope’s Exorcist dir. Julius Avery (2023)
  • Apr – Beau Is Afraid dir. Ari Aster (2023)
  • May – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 dir. James Gunn (2023)
  • May – Polite Society dir. Nida Manzoor (2023)
  • May – Born to Fly dir. Liu Xiaoshi (2023)
  • May – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret dir. Kelly Fremon Craig (2023)
  • May – Fool’s Paradise dir. Charlie Day (2023)
  • May – Hypnotic dir. Robert Rodriguez (2023)
  • May – Evil Dead Rise dir. Lee Cronin (2023)
  • May – Master Gardener dir. Paul Schrader (2023)
  • May – Sisu dir. Jalmari Helander (2023)
  • May – Fast X dir. Louis Leterrier (2023)
  • May – The Wrath of Becky dir. Matt Angel & Suzanne Coote (2023)
  • May – Kandahar dir. Ric Roman Waugh (2023)
  • Jun – The Hangover dir. Todd Phillips (2009)
  • Jun – The George McKenna Story dir. Eric Laneuville (1986)
  • Jun – Last Action Hero dir. John McTiernan (1993)
  • Jun – We Have a Ghost dir. Christopher Landon (2023)
  • Jun – The Mother dir. Niki Caro (2023)
  • Jun – The Little Mermaid dir. Rob Marshall (2023)
  • Jun – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse dir. Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson (2023)
  • Jun – The Boogeyman dir. Rob Savage (2023)
  • Jun – The Roundup: No Way Out dir. Lee Sang-yong (2023)
  • Jun – Chevalier dir. Stephen Williams (2023)
  • Jun – Transformers: Rise of the Beasts dir. Steven Caple Jr. (2023)
  • Jun – Sanctuary dir. Zachary Wigon (2023)
  • Jun – A Thousand and One dir. A.V. Rockwell (2023)
  • Jun – The Blackening dir. Tim Story (2023)
  • Jun – No Hard Feelings dir. Gene Stupnitsky (2023)
  • Jun – Past Lives dir. Celine Song (2023)
  • Jun – The Flash dir. Andy Muschietti (2023)
  • Jun – Asteroid City dir. Wes Anderson (2023)
  • Jun – Adipurush dir. Om Raut (2023)
  • Jun – God Is a Bullet dir. Nick Cassavetes (2023)
  • Jun – 1920: Horrors of the Heart dir. Krishna Bhatt (2023)
  • Jun – The Childe dir. Park Hoon-jung (2023)
  • Jun – Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny dir. James Mangold (2023)

Movies Jul-Dec

  • Jul – Metropolis dir. Rintaro (2001)
  • Jul – Insidious: The Red Door dir. Patrick Wilson (2023)
  • Jul – Joy Ride dir. Adele Lim (2023)
  • Jul – Lost In the Stars dir. Cui Rui & Liu Xiang (2023)
  • Jul – Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One dir. Christopher McQuarrie (2023)
  • Jul – The Miracle Club dir. Thaddeus O’Sullivan (2023)
  • Jul – Shadows dir. Glenn Chan (2023)
  • Jul – Barbie dir. Greta Gerwig (2023)
  • Jul – Oppenheimer dir. Christopher Nolan (2023)
  • Jul – Haunted Mansion dir. Justin Simien (2023)
  • Jul – Talk to Me dir. Danny Philippou & Michael Philippou (2023)
  • Aug – Theater Camp dir. Molly Gordon & Nick Lieberman (2023)
  • Aug – Never Say Never dir. Baoqiang Wang (2023)
  • Aug – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem dir. Jeff Rowe (2023)
  • Aug – Meg 2: The Trench dir. Ben Wheatley (2023)
  • Aug – Ransomed dir. Kim Seong-hun (2023)
  • Aug – The Last Voyage of the Demeter dir. André Øvredal (2023)
  • Aug – Jules dir. Marc Turtletaub (2023)
  • Aug – Strays dir. Josh Greenbaum (2023)
  • Aug – Blue Beetle dir. Angel Manuel Soto (2023)
  • Aug – Gran Turismo dir. Neill Blomkamp (2023)
  • Aug – birth/rebirth dir. Laura Moss (2023)
  • Aug – Landscape With Invisible Hand dir. Cory Finley (2023)
  • Aug – Porco Rosso dir. Hayao Miyazaki (1992)
  • Aug – The Wind Rises dir. Hayao Miyazaki (2013)
  • Aug – Retribution dir. Nimród Antal (2023)
  • Aug – To Live and Die in L.A. dir. William Friedkin (1985)
  • Sep – The Equalizer 3 dir. Antoine Fuqua (2023)
  • Sep – Bottoms dir. Emma Seligman (2023)
  • Sep – Elemental dir. Peter Sohn (2023)
  • Sep – They Live dir. John Carpenter (1988)
  • Sep – Jawan dir. Atlee (2023)
  • Sep – Christine dir. John Carpenter (1983)
  • Sep – The LEGO Movie dir. Phil Lord & Christopher Miller (2014)
  • Sep – Outlaw Johnny Black dir. Michael Jai White (2023)
  • Sep – Satanic Hispanics dir. Alejandro Brugués , Mike Mendez, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Eduardo Sánchez, Demián Rugna (2023)
  • Sep – Prey dir. Dan Trachtenberg (2022)
  • Sep – Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight dir. Ernest Dickerson (1995)
  • Sep – Tales from the Crypt Presents: Bordello of Blood dir. Gilbert Adler (1996)
  • Sep – Tales from the Crypt Presents: Ritual dir. Avi Nesher (2002)
  • Sep – Vault of Horror dir. Freddie Francis (1973)
  • Sep – Tales from the Crypt dir. Freddie Francis (1972)
  • Sep – The Origin of Evil dir. Sébastien Marnier (2023)
  • Sep – The Expendables 4 dir. Scott Waugh (2023)
  • Sep – The Creator dir. Gareth Edwards (2023)
  • Oct – It Lives Inside dir. Bishal Dutta (2023)
  • Oct – The Company of Wolves dir. Neil Jordan (1984)
  • Oct – Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare dir. Rachel Talalay (1991)
  • Oct – Honeymoon dir. Leigh Janiak (2014)
  • Oct – Organ dir. Kei Fujiwara (1996)
  • Oct – The Bride of Frankenstein dir. James Whale (1935)
  • Oct – The Royal Hotel dir. Kitty Green (2023)
  • Oct – House of 1000 Corpses dir. Rob Zombie (2003)
  • Oct – The Nun II dir. Michael Chaves (2023)
  • Oct – The Godsend dir. Gabrielle Beaumont (1980)
  • Oct – Hatching dir. Hanna Bergholm (2022)
  • Oct – The Velvet Vampire dir. Stephanie Rothman (1971)
  • Oct – Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter dir. Joseph Zito (1984)
  • Oct – A Haunting in Venice dir. Kenneth Branagh (2023)
  • Oct – Piggy dir. Carlota Pereda (2022)
  • Oct – A Night to Dismember (The Lost Version) dir. Doris Wishman (1979)
  • Oct – The Blob dir. Irvin Yeaworth (1958)
  • Oct – Embrace of the Vampire dir. Anne Goursaud (1995)
  • Oct – Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls dir. Andrew Bowser (2023)
  • Oct – Exposed to Danger dir. Yang Chia-yun (Karen Yang) (1982)
  • Oct – Saw X dir. Kevin Greutert (2023)
  • Oct – The Birds dir. Alfred Hitchcock (1963)
  • Oct – Slumber Party Massacre II dir. Deborah Brock (1987)
  • Oct – Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island dir. Jim Stenstrum (1998)
  • Oct – The Being dir. Jackie Kong (1983)
  • Oct – Kuso dir. Steve (2017)
  • Oct – Visible Secret dir. Ann Hui (2001)
  • Oct – The Exorcist: Believer dir. David Gordon Green (2023)
  • Oct – The Love Witch dir. Anna Biller (2016)
  • Oct – Bones dir. Ernest R. Dickerson (2001)
  • Oct – Bedevil dir. Tracey Moffatt (1993)
  • Nov – A Million Miles Away dir. Alejandra Marquez Abella (2023)
  • Nov – Anatomy of a Fall dir. Justine Triet (2023)
  • Nov – Killers of the Flower Moon dir. Martin Scorsese (2023)
  • Nov- Five Nights at Freddy’s dir. Gil Kenan (2023)
  • Nov – The Marsh King’s Daughter dir. Neil Burger (2023)
  • Nov – It’s a Wonderful Knife dir. Tyler MacIntyre (2023)
  • Nov – The Marvels dir. Nia DaCosta (2023)
  • Nov – Freelance dir. Pierre Morel (2023)
  • Nov – The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes dir. Francis Lawrence (2023)
  • Nov – Next Goal Wins dir. Taika Waititi (2023)
  • Nov – The Holdovers dir. Alexander Payne (2023)
  • Nov – Priscilla dir. Sofia Coppola (2023)
  • Nov – Thanksgiving dir. Eli Roth (2023)
  • Nov – Napoleon dir. Ridley Scott (2023)
  • Nov – The Persian Version dir. Maryam Keshavarz (2023)
  • Nov – Wish dir. Chris Buck & Fawn Veerasunthorn (2023)
  • Dec – Dream Scenario dir. Kristoffer Borgli (2023)
  • Dec – Godzilla Minus One dir. Takashi Yamazaki (2023)
  • Dec – The Boy and the Heron dir. Hayao Miyazaki (2023)
  • Dec – The Abyss dir. James Cameron (1989)
  • Dec – Eileen dir. William Oldroyd (2023)
  • Dec – A Christmas Story dir. Bob Clark (1983)
  • Dec – Wonka dir. Paul King (2023)
  • Dec – Monster dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda (2023)
  • Dec – Leave the World Behind dir. Sam Esmail (2023)
  • Dec – The Polar Express dir. Robert Zemeckis (2004)
  • Dec – The Muppet Christmas Carol dir. Brian Henson (1992)
  • Dec – Velvet Buzzsaw dir. Dan Gilroy (2019)

Episodes

  • Jan – Thunderbirds – “Trapped In The Sky” (1965)
  • May – Well ABRIDGE Me, Princess! – “Well, Excuuuuse Me, Princess and the Frog” (2023)
  • Jun – The Simpsons – “My Mother the Car Jacker” (2003)
  • Jun – The Simpsons – “The President Wore Pearls” (2003)
  • Jun – Fox’s Peter Pan & the Pirates – “The Coldest Cut of All” (1990)
  • Oct – Regular Show – “Terror Tales of the Park” I-VI (2011-2016)
  • Oct – The Simpsons – “Treehouse of Horror Presents: Not It” (2022)
  • Dec – The 100 – “Perverse Instantiation – Part One” (2016)
  • Dec – The 100 – “Perverse Instantiation – Part Two” (2016)
  • Dec – The Crown – “Ipatiev House” (2022)
  • Dec – The Crown – “No Woman’s Land” (2022)
  • Dec – The Outer Limits – “The Galaxy Being” (1963)
  • Dec – Night Gallery – “Pilot” (1969)
  • Dec – Babylon 5 – “The Gathering” (1993)

Series

  • Jan – The Outer Limits – Seasons 1-3 (1995-1997)
  • Feb – The Outer Limits – Seasons 4-6 (1998-2000)
  • Mar – The Outer Limits – Season 7 (2001-2002)
  • Apr – Star Trek Discovery – Season 4 (2021)
  • Apr – Moonbeam City (2015)
  • Apr – Star Trek Picard – Seasons 2-3 (2022-2023)
  • May – Tales from the Crypt – Seasons 1-2 (1989-1990)
  • May – Star Trek Lower Decks – Seasons 2-3 (2021-2022)
  • May – Star Trek Prodigy – Season 1 (2021)
  • Jun – Star Trek Strange New Worlds – Season 1 (2022)
  • Jun – Tales from the Crypt – Seasons 3-4 (1991-1992)
  • Aug – Tales from the Crypt – Seasons 5-6 (1993-1995)
  • Sep – Tales from the Crypt – Season 7 (1996)
  • Sep – Tales from the Cryptkeeper – Season 1 (1993)
  • Sep – Star Trek Discovery – Season 2 (2023)
  • Oct – Tales from the Cryptkeeper – Seasons 2 & 3 (1994 & 1999)

New Fiction 2023 – December

“Ezekiel” ed. Richard Challoner (1752)

Ezekiel had a lot to prophesy, and none of it good news.

“Daniel” ed. Richard Challoner (1752)

We’re really just there for lions and Susanna.

Revenant by Alex White (2021)

I like that I can hop around between DS9 stories that are part of the post-show timeline and the various stories that just take place at some point during or prior to the show. Also good to see the designers stepping up that cover art! And let me tell ya, this story delivers on that cover. Half of it is a Jadzia and Kira adventure with mysteries, heists, danger, and a lot of really good background on the Dax symbiont. Loved that! Then Kira tagged out for Worf and Bashir, and that was alright. I wish it had been Jadzia and Kira all the way though.

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (2023)

It’s a nerds’ tale through and through. Film nerds, occult nerds, horror nerds, and Moreno-Garcia blends it all skillfully. It doesn’t hit as strongly as Mexican Gothic, but mysteries tend to be like that when they take place in a metropolis instead of the confines of a creepy mansion.

The Men by Sandra Newman (2023)

I liked the setup, and the premise, and I was mostly onboard until the finale really let me down. Maybe the idea is depressing to people, like it is to most characters in the story, but I saw hope in sticking with the reality of most of the book and making a better world of it. You grieve, you build anew. There was also some hand-wringing around race and gender tension from the main character that feels like it’s meant to be considerate but is just channeling white anxiety about the optics of appearing racist instead recognizing racial bias and making changes to address it.

Aftermath by Christopher L. Bennett (2003)

Whoops, one more Star Trek book before the end of the year. I’d been meaning to read it for about a year and finally found some time with the digital copy from Open Library. Like the other SCE stories, it’s a short and sweet little tale. The thematic elements about a civilization’s collapse and hope for the future were just what I needed after reading some more downbeat stories.

Jekyll and Heidi by R.L. Stine (1999)

It was… okay. Not the strongest plot or twist, although notably darker in terms of setting up the main character’s predicament. Kinda Dahlesque but without his absurdity.

“> THE JESTER” by Margaut Shorjian (2023)

Do it.

The Simpsons: Bart vs. Homersaurus dev. Tiger Electronics (1994)

These level-based LCD games are never as strong as the endless loops of their Game & Watch progenitors, but the tech is neat. Voice clips must’ve been an expensive proposition.

Dream Scenario dir. Kristoffer Borgli (2023)

You know, it is a weird movie, but the part where it digs into cancel culture felt off. Too real maybe. And even then, I just don’t think it’ll stick around in my brain.

Godzilla Minus One dir. Takashi Yamazaki (2023)

A great Godzilla story with a good balance of humans and monster. It’s a big deal when I can care about the human side of a monster attack.

The Boy and the Heron dir. Hayao Miyazaki (2023)

It meanders and contemplates, kinda like The Wind Rises, but it’s so beautiful and weird that it’s easy to just roll with it.

The Abyss dir. James Cameron (1989)

So did Cameron just establish the genre of scifi that is working class stiffs who aren’t trained for this being sent out into the deep end?

Eileen dir. William Oldroyd (2023)

It has that short story quality I can never quite describe. Like something unsettling I’d read in The New Yorker.

A Christmas Story dir. Bob Clark (1983)

1983?! This feels so ancient. Well, I’m glad I finally watched it all through instead of bits and pieces on TV.

Wonka dir. Paul King (2023)

I should watch a Paddington sometime.

Monster dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda (2023)

I wanna say it’s a perfect movie. It has some dread but still has a hopeful vibe in the end.

Leave the World Behind dir. Sam Esmail (2023)

I guess I see why people responded to it, but I found it too bleak, and that’s saying something. I guess I prefer these things to be a little further removed from the current timeline. *hugs The Outer Limits 1995*

The Polar Express dir. Robert Zemeckis (2004)

My nephew straight up performs the movie as he watches it, and that’s about as memorable as a viewing can get.

The Muppet Christmas Carol dir. Brian Henson (1992)

Pretty good, but it can’t top Muppet Treasure Island in my brain. The effects for some of those scenes are mighty impressive though.

Velvet Buzzsaw dir. Dan Gilroy (2019)

No one told me this was a horror movie! I’d have watched it sooner. It’s an excellent high-budget version of an episode of Tales from the Crypt.

The 100 – “Perverse Instantiation – Part One” (2016)

I sorta picked up what the show is throwing down, but coming into at this late stage is not the way to watch an episode.

The 100 – “Perverse Instantiation – Part Two” (2016)

This episode was a little more clear as a season finale with defined stakes. It was enough that I’d watch this series at some point in the future.

The Crown – “Ipatiev House” (2022)

Sorta tuned in here, and it has big House of Cards vibes. I guess all this stuff about royals is the original HoC.

The Crown – “No Woman’s Land” (2022)

Elizabeth Debicki is a great Diana. I don’t know if I’m in the mood for sociopolitical interpersonal drama anytime soon, but this show seems to manage it all with aplomb.

The Outer Limits – “The Galaxy Being” (1963)

A bit snoozy I’ll admit, but that’s most TV of the era. Things really pick up when the well-designed alien kicks in. Those effects are impressive.

Night Gallery – “Pilot” (1969)

Whoa! This first episode is real good. I’ve heard the show has its ups and down since Serling didn’t have the same level of creative control, but the pilot is just a great horror anthology film.

Babylon 5 – “The Gathering” (1993)

Hokey VFX and 90s-era production values aside, I can see the appeal of the show. I’ll be fighting my instinct to go back and watch Star Trek the whole time but I’m glad to finally get into the show.

New Fiction 2023 – November

A Million Miles Away dir. Alejandra Marquez Abella (2023)

We have several inspirational true stories this month, but this one is special because it was a rare movie recommendation from my dad, who famously does not particularly care about art or stories. It’s immediately obvious why it clicked with him, an immigrant who had to make a lot of tough choices in life and a confirmed family guy.

Anatomy of a Fall dir. Justine Triet (2023)

Sweet, sweet European ambiguity. None of it’s in the realm of the fantastic. It’s just something that could really nag at you for the rest of your life.

Killers of the Flower Moon dir. Martin Scorsese (2023)

Over three hours and it does a good job of keeping things moving along. It’s also Goodfellas in Oklahoma, which is good and fine.

Five Nights at Freddy’s dir. Emma Tammi (2023)

I’m annoyed that I had the wrong director noted down, because this absolutely should’ve been watched in October. It was only lost in the shuffle of balancing the diversity of the directors. But, you know, it’s alright. Matthew Lillard is the key stone to the whole thing.

The Marsh King’s Daughter dir. Neil Burger (2023)

Could’ve used more scenes of a woman hunting down her shitty ol’ dad. I was just waiting for that the whole time.

It’s a Wonderful Knife dir. Tyler MacIntyre (2023)

How could I skip this? A Christmas slasher movie featuring a dope design for the killer, and it was in theaters. It has the vibe of a Netflix holiday special and that’s perfect for this.

The Marvels dir. Nia DaCosta (2023)

I hope Iman Vellani gets good gigs outta this. She’s the best part by far and I’m glad I watched the show before getting into the movie.

Freelance dir. Pierre Morel (2023)

Look, I’ll just admit that I have a crush on Alison Brie and that’s what got me into the theater here. And the movie knew that, too.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes dir. Francis Lawrence (2023)

This damn movie got me by the brain banana. I’m still tempted to read the books. I really just need to know why the story doesn’t go full Talented Mr. Ripley with the male leads. It’s right there.

Next Goal Wins dir. Taika Waititi (2023)

I know not every Taika Waititi can be his sort of sense of humor, but he’s at his best when he’s in that zone. This one’s a perfectly cromulent feel-good comedy, and Fassbender’s whatever but I like the actress playing Jaiyah.

The Holdovers dir. Alexander Payne (2023)

Loved it, stamp of approval. Funny when it has to be, serious in other moments. Just kind of a glimpse into a small group of people in the vein of those good short stories that hang around in the back of the mind.

Priscilla dir. Sofia Coppola (2023)

Real slow burn of a movie, but I appreciate that we’re with Priscilla all the way through.

Thanksgiving dir. Eli Roth (2023)

I guess we couldn’t expect the Grindhouse trailer to be made into a movie, but watching The Holdovers put me in that 70s mindset and wishing they’d gone for it. What we did get is standard slasher fare.

Napoleon dir. Ridley Scott (2023)

Not really blowing anyone away with a tepid biopic. I’m just surprised to learn that Napoleon’s ass got away with so much shit before being locked away in a tropical paradise.

The Persian Version dir. Maryam Keshavarz (2023)

It meanders a bit, especially in a long flashback midway through, but that pays off in spades.

Wish dir. Chris Buck & Fawn Veerasunthorn (2023)

Kind of a story-free musical, really. At least the nods to Disneyana weren’t bopping me over the head.

New Fiction 2023 – October

Another October in the can! And now I wish I could snooze through the real horror that is the holiday season. Maybe I’ll stay in October forever… forever… forever…

Here’s the long version (since Tumblr blocks too many links in one post).

The TL;DR:

Short Stories

  • “Snatched from the Brink” by Mary E. Penn (1878)
  • “The Canal” by Everil Worrell (1927)
  • “The Lost Performance of the High Priestess of the Temple of Horror” by Carmen Maria Machado (2020)
  • “The Time Remaining” by Attila Veres & trans. Luca Karafiáth (2019)
  • “CUE: Change” by Chesya Burke (2011)
  • “Last Call for the Sons of Shock” by David J. Schow (1994)
  • “The Real Right Thing” by Henry James (1899)
  • “The Haunted House” by M.A. Bird (1865)
  • “The Island of Regrets” by Elizabeth Walter (1965)
  • “The Stolen Body” by H.G. Wells (1903)
  • “The White Priest” by Hélène Gingold (1893)
  • “The Man Who Went Too Far” by E.F. Benson (1912)
  • “Mater Tenebrarum” by Pilar Pedraza & trans. James D. Jenkins (2000)
  • “Menopause” by Flore Hazoumé & trans. James D. Jenkins (1994)
  • “Señor Ligotti” by Bernardo Esquinca & trans. James D. Jenkins (2020)
  • “Shambleau” by C.L. Moore (1933)
  • “The Pit and the Pendulum” by Edgar Allan Poe (1850)
  • “The Village Spectre” by Gianna G. Maniego (2002)
  • “The Fog Horn” by Ray Bradbury (1951)
  • “The Lady of the House of Love” by Angela Carter (1979)
  • “The Woman’s Ghost Story” by Algernon Blackwood (1907)
  • “Black Bargain” by Robert Bloch (1942)
  • “Vastarien” by Thomas Ligotti (1987)
  • “The Doll” by Daphne du Maurier (1937)
  • “The Transferred Ghost” by Frank Stockton (1882)
  • “The Shadowy Third” by Ellen Glasgow (1923)
  • “The Daemon Lover” by Shirley Jackson (1949)
  • “The Interval” by Vincent O’Sullivan (1918)
  • “The Phantom Cyclist” by Ruth Ainsworth (1971)
  • “Couching at the Door” by D.K. Broster (1942)
  • “Bloodchild” by Octavia Butler (1984)

Audio

  • Tales from the Crypt Presents: Dead Easy by A.L. Katz & Gil Adler, performed by Sean Astin, Jake Busey, Tia Carrere, Brett Cullen, John Kassir (1995, 2022)

Comics

  • “Birds of a Feather” by Stephanie Phillips, Maan House, Giorgio Spalleta, Justin Birch, Chris Sanchez (2021)
  • “The Origin of Vampirella” by Budd Lewis & Jose Gonzalez (1981)
  • “Do You Know… the Beast-Man?” by Richard Howell, Colleen Doran, Kevin Cunningham (1992)
  • “Good Ol’ Fashioned Vanilla” by W. Maxwell Prince, Chris O’Halloran, Martín Morazzo, Good Old Neon (2018)
  • “For Better or Worse?” by Richard Corben (2016)
  • “Werewolf!” by Frank Frazetta (1964)
  • “Chickadee!” by Aya Rothwell (2016)
  • “The Evil Dead” (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) by Richard Floyd-Walker (1986-1987)
  • “Famine’s Shadow” by Rachel Deering & Christine Larsen (2014)
  • “A Pretty Place” by Emily Carroll (2023)
  • “The Thing from the Sea” by Wally Wood & Joe Orlando (1951)
  • “The Living Ghost” by Frank Belknap Long & Fred Guardineer (1948)
  • “Essence of Life” by Gail Simone, Tula Lotay, Jared K. Fletcher (2013)
  • “Hag of the Blood Basket!” by Al Hewetson & Sean Todd (1971)
  • “The Fisherman” by Franco, Tressina Bowling, Wes Abbott, Sara Richard (2022)
  • “Dental Plan” by Joy San (2019)
  • “Frankenstein y el Hombre Lobo” by Unknown (1946)
  • “Man’s World” by Keith Giffen, Mary Sangiovanni, Bilquis Evely, Mat Lopes, Taylor Esposito (2017)
  • “Shadow of Death” by William M. Gaines, Al Feldstein, Graham Ingels (1953)
  • “Smoke and Cedar” by Abby Howard & Alina Pete (2016)
  • “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” by Harlan Ellison & John Byrne (1994-1995)
  • “A Dog and His Boy” by Evan Dorkin, Sarah Dyer, Jill Thompson, Jason Arthur (2006)
  • “The Horror Beneath” by Leah Moore, John Reppion, Timothy Green II, Michelle Madsen, Nate Piekos (2006)
  • “Shadows on the Tomb” by Joe Certa (1952)
  • “The Muck Monster” by Bernie Wrightson (1975)
  • “The Duel of the Monsters” by Archie Goodwin & Angelo Torres (1966)
  • “The Willowdale Handcar or The Return of the Black Doll” by Edward Gorey (1962)
  • “Inside You” by Valerie D’Orazio & David James Cole (2014)
  • “Soylent Teen” by Jordan Morris, Liana Kangas, Ellie Wright, Jack Morelli (2023)
  • “The Gris-Gris” by Jim Keegan & Ruth Keegan (2004)
  • “Fair Ground” by Jo Duffy, Mike Manley, Jackson Guice, James Fry, Kevin Cunningham (1992)

Video Games

  • Haunted House dev. Atari (1982)
  • Castlevania dev. Konami (1987)
  • Clock Tower dev. Human Entertainment (1995)
  • D dev. Warp (1995)
  • Friday the 13th dev. Atlus (1989)
  • Silent Hill 3 dev. Konami (2003)
  • Five Nights at Freddy’s dev. Scott Cawthon (2014)

Movies

  • It Lives Inside dir. Bishal Dutta (2023)
  • The Company of Wolves dir. Neil Jordan (1984)
  • Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare dir. Rachel Talalay (1991)
  • Honeymoon dir. Leigh Janiak (2014)
  • Organ dir. Kei Fujiwara (1996)
  • The Bride of Frankenstein dir. James Whale (1935)
  • The Royal Hotel dir. Kitty Green (2023)
  • House of 1000 Corpses dir. Rob Zombie (2003)
  • The Nun II dir. Michael Chaves (2023)
  • The Godsend dir. Gabrielle Beaumont (1980)
  • Hatching dir. Hanna Bergholm (2022)
  • The Velvet Vampire dir. Stephanie Rothman (1971)
  • Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter dir. Joseph Zito (1984)
  • A Haunting in Venice dir. Kenneth Branagh (2023)
  • Piggy dir. Carlota Pereda (2022)
  • A Night to Dismember (The Lost Version) dir. Doris Wishman (1979)
  • The Blob dir. Irvin Yeaworth (1958)
  • Embrace of the Vampire dir. Anne Goursaud (1995)
  • Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls dir. Andrew Bowser (2023)
  • Exposed to Danger dir. Yang Chia-yun (Karen Yang) (1982)
  • Saw X dir. Kevin Greutert (2023)
  • The Birds dir. Alfred Hitchcock (1963)
  • Slumber Party Massacre II dir. Deborah Brock (1987)
  • Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island dir. Jim Stenstrum (1998)
  • The Being dir. Jackie Kong (1983)
  • Kuso dir. Steve (2017)
  • Visible Secret dir. Ann Hui (2001)
  • The Exorcist: Believer dir. David Gordon Green (2023)
  • The Love Witch dir. Anna Biller (2016)
  • Bones dir. Ernest R. Dickerson (2001)
  • Bedevil dir. Tracey Moffatt (1993)

Television

  • Regular Show – “Terror Tales of the Park” I-VI (2011-2016)
  • The Simpsons – “Treehouse of Horror Presents: Not It” (2022)
  • Tales from the Cryptkeeper – Seasons 2 & 3 (1994 & 1999)

New Fiction 2023 – September

“Baruch” ed. Richard Challoner (1752)

A short interlude before another juggernaut of a chapter.

Creature Teacher by R.L. Stine (1998)

They really hold out on the monsters here in Series 2000, so this is a welcome entry.

Invasion of the Body Squeezers – Part 1 by R.L. Stine (1998)

An unnecessarily long red herring.

Invasion of the Body Squeezers – Part 2 by R.L. Stine (1998)

That’s some way to prevent an extinction event.

I’m Your Evil Twin! by R.L. Stine (1998)

They always do the ol’ switcharoo.

Revenge R Us by R.L. Stine (1998)

The Uncut Gems of Goosebumps.

Fright Camp by R.L. Stine (1998)

Fool me several dozen times, shame on us all.

Headless Halloween by R.L. Stine (1998)

Here we GOOOOO. A+ Goosebumps.

Attack of the Graveyard Ghouls by R.L. Stine (1998)

A bit weirder but still more welcome than kids being dicks and no actual spooky happenings.

Brain Juice by R.L. Stine (1998)

Just bizarre. Leaning a little too far into the weird science angle I’ve no interest for in these books.

The Deadly Experiments of Dr. Eeek by R.L. Stine (1996)

Nope. These gamebooks aren’t good for reading one after another, and the ones that more or less stay in place are especially meh.

Night in Werewolf Woods by R.L. Stine (1996)

Another meh entry in spite of the werewolves running around.

Beware of the Purple Peanut Butter by R.L. Stine (1996)

More weird science and generally not scary stuff, less and less interesting.

“Hotline Miami” by KC Green (2023)

The speedrun.

“I was told by my doctor that this’ll completely compensate my human meat diet” by scribblingchimp (2023)

Gotta find an alternate.

“Carl’s Date” dir. Bob Peterson (2023)

Good to see the gang again.

The Equalizer 3 dir. Antoine Fuqua (2023)

Didn’t need to do all that.

Bottoms dir. Emma Seligman (2023)

The kids are alright.

Elemental dir. Peter Sohn (2023)

A personal story.

They Live dir. John Carpenter (1988)

That’s a long fight.

Jawan dir. Atlee (2023)

The Robin Hood we need.

Christine dir. John Carpenter (1983)

Somehow, a car is scary.

The LEGO Movie dir. Phil Lord & Christopher Miller (2014)

Too familiar, but perhaps because it kicked off something we’ve seen a lot of since then.

Outlaw Johnny Black dir. Michael Jai White (2023)

A fun and shooty romp.

Satanic Hispanics dir. Alejandro Brugués , Mike Mendez, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Eduardo Sánchez, Demián Rugna (2023)

The anthology offers much.

Prey dir. Dan Trachtenberg (2022)

Hell yes. If they made Predator movies that are just “a Predator fights someone at this point in history” I’d be all in.

Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight dir. Ernest Dickerson (1995)

Definitely a feature-length version of an episode, but they pull it off.

Tales from the Crypt Presents: Bordello of Blood dir. Gilbert Adler (1996)

Or do they? But this is still better than…

Tales from the Crypt Presents: Ritual dir. Avi Nesher (2002)

A very boring movie like this.

Vault of Horror dir. Freddie Francis (1973)

Ooh that second story is tops.

Tales from the Crypt dir. Freddie Francis (1972)

This first movie was just a tad too straight-faced. Where’s the camp?!

The Origin of Evil dir. Sébastien Marnier (2023)

A-n-x-i-e-t-y.

The Expendables 4 dir. Scott Waugh (2023)

I know they can’t all come back every time, but the concept seems to be slipping away from them.

The Creator dir. Gareth Edwards (2023)

Hm. Striving toward something I might’ve liked but somehow doesn’t land.

Tales from the Crypt – Season 7 (1996)

I’ve been annoyed with many people writing off season 7 as not worth watching. It’s fine! There’s even a few episodes really worth watching.

Tales from the Cryptkeeper – Season 1 (1993)

Basically Goosebumps, so John Kassir recording wraparounds is what makes it special.

Star Trek Discovery – Season 2 (2023)

I like it, but 10 episodes is not enough. Bouncing from fun to deadly serious episodes too often makes it feel disjointed.

New Fiction 2023 – August

“Lamentations of Jeremias” ed. Richard Challoner (1752)

A little tag to the end of Jeremias about how dealing with God sucks, and there’s another one after this.

“The Miracle of the Lily” by Clare Winger Harris (1928)

Water yourself.

“The Conquest of Gola” by Leslie F. Stone (1931)

Why dudes gotta be like that.

“The Black God’s Kiss” by C.L. Moore (1934)

Fuck. Yes.

“Space Episode” by Leslie Perri (1941)

Fellas, just step aside.

“That Only a Mother” by Judith Merril (1948)

You see it coming but still hits.

“In Hiding” by Wilmar H. Shiras (1948)

Okay things get weird and eugenicsy with this atomic supermen bullshit.

“Contagion” by Katherine MacLean (1950)

Again with the genetic supermen business. Maybe that’s the intended effect?

“The Inhabited Men” by Margaret St. Clair (1951)

That’s some good slow-burn space horror.

“Ararat” by Zenna Henderson (1952)

Oh no the superior beings are among us and better than us and will replace us, aka yikes.

“All Cats Are Gray” by Andrew North (1953)

See or not, they’re there.

“Created He Them” by Alice Eleanor Jones (1955)

Rather be dead tbh.

“Mr. Sakrison’s Halt” by Mildred Clingerman (1956)

Get me outta here too.

“All the Colors of the Rainbow” by Leigh Brackett (1957)

God, this was a tough and necessary read.

“Pelt” by Carol Emshwiller (1958)

We’re all a skin to someone.

“Car Pool” by Rosel George Brown (1959)

This style, holy shit. Getting into the stuff I came up with, the style of the gazed navel.

“For Sale, Reasonable” by Elizabeth Mann Borgese (1959)

Don’t hire me.

“Birth of a Gardener” by Doris Pitkin Buck (1961)

You don’t listen.

“The Tunnel Ahead” by Alice Glaser (1961)

I mean, what else to do?

“The New You” by Kit Reed (1962)

They’ll bottle you up soon enough.

“Another Rib” by John Jay Wells & Marion Zimmer Bradley (1963)

Not so shocking now.

“When I Was Miss Dow” by Sonya Dorman (1966)

Be me be you be me.

“Baby, You Were Great” by Kate Wilhelm (1967)

If you can’t connect then you learn to live with it.

“The Barbarian” by Joanna Russ (1968)

Fear of my tower getting breached.

“The Last Flight Of Dr. Ain” by James Tiptree, Jr. (1969)

Twelve monkeys origin story.

“Nine Lives” by Ursula K. Le Guin (1969)

Too many minds for a collective.

Twilight by David R. George III (2002)

Hefty story but it’s good to go back to the old style of dealing with incomprehensible beings from other dimensions.

Are You Terrified Yet? by R.L. Stine (1998)

Not with this story. If Goosebumps 2000 is about aging out of monsters and supernatural stuff then I don’t care for it.

Tick Tock, You’re Dead! by R.L. Stine (1995)

Time travel shenanigans, my beloved.

“Mighty Max Trapped by Arachnoid” by Bluebird Toys (1992)

Spiders don’t scare me.

“Mighty Max Liquidates the Ice Alien” by Bluebird Toys (1992)

Refractive weapons.

“Mighty Max Lashes Lizard” by Bluebird Toys (1994)

Squirt.

“Mighty Max Traps Rattus” by Bluebird Toys (1994)

Traps you.

“Mighty Max Outwits Cyclops” by Bluebird Toys (1993)

Poke ‘em.

“Mighty Max Tangles With the Ape King” by Bluebird Toys (1993)

Just take over.

“Mighty Max Slays the Doom Dragon” by Bluebird Toys (1992)

Does he though?

“Mighty Max Grapples with Battle Cat” by Bluebird Toys (1993)

Bring them back.

“Mighty Max Squishes Fly” by Bluebird Toys (1994)

Narshty.

“Mighty Max Blows Up Dino Lab” by Bluebird Toys (1993)

Science outfits are slipping.

“Mighty Max Stings Scorpion” by Bluebird Toys (1993)

Big means not poisonous.

“Mighty Max Crushes the Hand” by Bluebird Toys (1994)

Win the duel!

“Mighty Max Escapes from Skull Dungeon” by Bluebird Toys (1992)

Smasher, really?

“Mighty Max Conquers the Palace of Poison” by Bluebird Toys (1992)

Flees from it, eh.

“Mighty Max Sinks Nautilus” by Bluebird Toys (1994)

Time has ravaged your once youthful looks.

“Mighty Max Caught by the Man-Eater” by Bluebird Toys (1993)

The final frontier.

“Mighty Max Bytes Cyberskull” by Bluebird Toys (1994)

Stay off the computer.

“Mighty Max Terminates Wolfship 7” by Bluebird Toys (1992)

Go away aliens.

“Mighty Max Survives Corpus” by Bluebird Toys (1993)

Get aHEAD in DEADvertising.

“Mighty Max Against Robot Invader” by Bluebird Toys (1992)

He invade.

“Mighty Max Zaps Beetlebrow” by Bluebird Toys (1994)

Quick work.

“Mighty Max Crushes Talon” by Bluebird Toys (1994)

See into the bone soul.

“Mighty Max Out-Freaks Freako” by Bluebird Toys (1994)

Wergh, some kinda phobia.

“Mighty Max Rams Hydron” by Bluebird Toys (1994)

I said let ’em take over.

“Mighty Max Versus Kronosaur” by Bluebird Toys (1992)

They just do what they do.

“Mighty Max Challenges Lava Beast” by Bluebird Toys (1992)

I doubt the veracity of flesh to fire.

“Mighty Max Tangles With Lockjaw” by Bluebird Toys (1993)

Well, some last words at least.

“Mighty Max Defeats Vamp Biter” by Bluebird Toys (1992)

In the sun.

“Mighty Max Fights Nuke Ranger” by Bluebird Toys (1992)

Not a place of honor.

“Mighty Max Pulverizes Sea Squirm” by Bluebird Toys (1992)

Die native fauna.

“Mighty Max Battles Skull Warrior” by Bluebird Toys (1992)

Go home, you’re drunk.

“Mighty Max Hammers Ax Man” by Bluebird Toys (1993)

It’s a tool!

“Mighty Max Hounds Werewolf” by Bluebird Toys (1993)

Awoo.

“Mighty Max Neutralises Zomboid” by Bluebird Toys (1992)

Flesh of my flesh.

“Mighty Max Defeats Battle Conqueror” by Bluebird Toys (1994)

I kick you.

“Mighty Max Head to Head With Hydra” by Bluebird Toys (1994)

Two in one.

“Mighty Max Melts Lava Beast” by Bluebird Toys (1994)

Delicious java.

“Mighty Max Strikes Fang” by Bluebird Toys (1994)

Grab the tail.

“Mighty Max Shuts Down Cybot” by Bluebird Toys (1994)

Always an off switch.

“Mighty Max Shatters Gargoyle” by Bluebird Toys (1994)

Tap tap tap.

“Mighty Max Assaults Skull Master” by Bluebird Toys (1994)

You’d lose but you do it anyway.

“La-Mulana” by KC Green (2023)

Hyuck.

“Mental Health Marge 2 Da Rescue” by ossian (2019)

Listen 2 da TV mom.

Theater Camp dir. Molly Gordon & Nick Lieberman (2023)

I took a theater class one semester of high school, along with a final play at the end, and that is an intense type of person to hang around with. But I liked that there’s a subset of member who just does, like, building sets and stuff, because it me.

Never Say Never dir. Baoqiang Wang (2023)

So… signing shady contractual obligations with children is okay if you’re giving them something to do?

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem dir. Jeff Rowe (2023)

This feels the most like playing with action figures out of any TMNT thing which makes it the most appropriate interpretation.

Meg 2: The Trench dir. Ben Wheatley (2023)

Not enough sea creecher.

Ransomed dir. Kim Seong-hun (2023)

I enjoy the sociopathic killer who could be in a boy band genre from South Korean cinema, and this is right in there.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter dir. André Øvredal (2023)

A fine Saturday afternoon on broacast TV sorta movie.

Jules dir. Marc Turtletaub (2023)

Got some aliens this month, and this one is a charming little story about how aliens can’t save us from our bodies’ inevitable betrayal.

Strays dir. Josh Greenbaum (2023)

A good road trip to set the soul afire.

Blue Beetle dir. Angel Manuel Soto (2023)

Lots of good details, but it still shakes out as a generic superhero movie of our age.

Gran Turismo dir. Neill Blomkamp (2023)

I saw this 1.5 times after the first showing failed halfway through. You know where it’s going and, you know, sports movie gonna sports.

birth/rebirth dir. Laura Moss (2023)

Hey! That’s it, the jam, the good stuff. A high-end version of my beloved anthology horror.

Landscape With Invisible Hand dir. Cory Finley (2023)

The other aliens movie of the month is more in the po-mo style of commentary on our societal ills. I look forward to this feeling quaint in 20 years.

Porco Rosso dir. Hayao Miyazaki (1992)

Damn, TaleSpin really do be like this. But I’ll just take it as more fun anthropomorphized adventures of the air and sea.

The Wind Rises dir. Hayao Miyazaki (2013)

Ghibli’s contemplative looks at Japanese culture and history are some monumental works.

Retribution dir. Nimród Antal (2023)

That’s your final guy? Shoulda been someone else.

To Live and Die in L.A. dir. William Friedkin (1985)

That’s some good 80s vibe I tell you what.

Tales from the Crypt – Seasons 5-6 (1993-1995)

Okay, alright, things are starting to sag a bit after the peak of seasons 3 and 4. Not a show to binge watch. But I still want a super cut of Cryptkeeper intros and outros.

New Fiction 2023 – July

“Jeremias” ed. Richard Challoner (1752)

Dear LORD, Jeremias/Jeremiah had a lot to say and repeated it countless times so you know he’s serious. These prophets get real wordy here toward the end of Old Testament.

The Abominable Snowman by R. A. Montgomery (1982)

After reading a Goosebumps take on the CYOA, this feels a bit tame. But! Still cool to see the origins of the most popular series of gamebooks.

“My Local Gas Station” by Ink (2018)

A simple trade.

The Adventures of Mighty Max – “Mighty Max and the Grand Slam” by Robert Hudnut, Gary Hartle, Brett Koth, David C. Weiss, and Phil Roman (1994)

It only make sense.

Mighty Max dev. Tiger Electronics (1994)

You didn’t have to.

The Adventures of Mighty Max dev. WJS Design (1995)

You really didn’t.

“What It Feels Like to Live as an Immortal?” dir. LazyOwl Studio (2022)

I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

Metropolis dir. Rintaro (2001)

You take responsibility for what you’ve built.

Insidious: The Red Door dir. Patrick Wilson (2023)

Bit of a theme this month with ghost creepers possessing people.

Joy Ride dir. Adele Lim (2023)

A road story’s just the thing.

Lost In the Stars dir. Cui Rui & Liu Xiang (2023)

It’s got some hook to it.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One dir. Christopher McQuarrie (2023)

Too many part ones this year.

The Miracle Club dir. Thaddeus O’Sullivan (2023)

The small comedy-drama genre is a breath of fresh air.

Shadows dir. Glenn Chan (2023)

Honestly, I watched this with little sleep. Kinda Sixth Sense vibe?

Barbie dir. Greta Gerwig (2023)

One of those movies that shouldn’t exist and it’s good for us all that it does. Ya gotta.

Oppenheimer dir. Christopher Nolan (2023)

Nolan can get too into himself with explaining mechanics, but these historical jams constrain him well enough.

Haunted Mansion dir. Justin Simien (2023)

Just kind of… pleasant? Pleasant horror fun. Won’t annoy your relatives.

Talk to Me dir. Danny Philippou & Michael Philippou (2023)

The third possession movie of the month, and definitely the best.

New Fiction 2023 – June

“Isaias” ed. Richard Challoner (1752)

Look, I don’t know.

“A young couple have a strange encounter on a dark country road” by Iguanadon’t (2016)

June was so long ago now.

Spacebase DF-9 dev. Double Fine Productions (2014)

So much has happened.

“Wolf in sheep’s clothing” dir. Yea An (2023)

So much avarice…

“War of Colors” dir. Emir Kumova (2022)

And indulgence.

“Double King” dir. Felix Colgrave (2017)

I said so much about these things.

“How Finding Nemo Should Have Ended” dir. HISHE (2016) 

I don’t think we need to tread over this ground again.

The Hangover dir. Todd Phillips (2009)

Not this time, anyway.

The George McKenna Story dir. Eric Laneuville (1986)

We can wonder about space.

Last Action Hero dir. John McTiernan (1993)

Like the real possibility that someone out there is wondering if you exist.

We Have a Ghost dir. Christopher Landon (2023)

Whether they are alone in the universe, outside of their own sphere.

The Mother dir. Niki Caro (2023)

What might you be like?

The Little Mermaid dir. Rob Marshall (2023)

Are you like them?

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse dir. Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson (2023)

Do you have the same concerns that they do?

The Boogeyman dir. Rob Savage (2023)

Do you share the same parts?

The Roundup: No Way Out dir. Lee Sang-yong (2023)

They might be out there.

Chevalier dir. Stephen Williams (2023)

Or caves.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts dir. Steven Caple Jr. (2023)

Think about caves.

Sanctuary dir. Zachary Wigon (2023)

Some are here and gone so quickly that they’ll never be discovered.

A Thousand and One dir. A.V. Rockwell (2023)

Whole other caves are so ancient that they must contain some unknowable horror.

The Blackening dir. Tim Story (2023)

Maybe more than one.

No Hard Feelings dir. Gene Stupnitsky (2023)

I’m sorry I go to horror, I’ve just run into a few stories like that.

Past Lives dir. Celine Song (2023)

Ancient parasites, aliens, some shape in the darkness you don’t want to see.

The Flash dir. Andy Muschietti (2023)

Not my thing to go into caves, personally.

Asteroid City dir. Wes Anderson (2023)

Or space for that matter.

Adipurush dir. Om Raut (2023)

Or the ocean, stay outta that place.

God Is a Bullet dir. Nick Cassavetes (2023)

It’s beautiful but it’s not beauty we’re meant to see.

1920: Horrors of the Heart dir. Krishna Bhatt (2023)

Kind of a faith situation, I guess.

The Childe dir. Park Hoon-jung (2023)

Have faith that it’s beautiful in the pitch black.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny dir. James Mangold (2023)

We’re coming to the end here.

The Simpsons – “My Mother the Car Jacker” (2003)

Time has escaped me once again.

The Simpsons – “The President Wore Pearls” (2003)

Flown away like a little bird that shouldn’t have been caged in the first place.

Fox’s Peter Pan & the Pirates – “The Coldest Cut of All” (1990)

But inevitably, another little bird comes along, and I need to try and get a handle on it once again.

Star Trek Strange New Worlds – Season 1 (2022)

See you for the next flight.

Tales from the Crypt – Seasons 3-4 (1991-1992)

Love,

New Fiction 2023 – May

“Ecclesiasticus” ed. Richard Challoner (1752)

My man, your repetition is tiresome, but you came through in the end.

We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds (2022)

The ones you hurt the least.

“Idaho” by Dobby Gibson (2005)

Where did you go?

Bart Simpson’s Cupcake Crisis dev. Acclaim (1990)

I could do this all day.

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith dev. The Collective (2005)

Fill in the numbered blobs.

Marc Ecko’s Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure dev. The Collective (2006)

I appreciate you.

The Adventures of Mouth Man dev. Retrocade Media (2023)

Yes, this is it. More, please.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 dir. James Gunn (2023)

Almost but not quite there.

Polite Society dir. Nida Manzoor (2023)

Sometimes, the stunt performs you.

Born to Fly dir. Liu Xiaoshi (2023)

So this is what it feels like to watch American dribble.

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret dir. Kelly Fremon Craig (2023)

Tough out there.

Fool’s Paradise dir. Charlie Day (2023)

Chaplaneseque? But Ken Jeong carries it.

Hypnotic dir. Robert Rodriguez (2023)

You tried.

Evil Dead Rise dir. Lee Cronin (2023)

The comedy is still lost on me.

Master Gardener dir. Paul Schrader (2023)

You have a type, don’t you?

Sisu dir. Jalmari Helander (2023)

Every last one.

Fast X dir. Louis Leterrier (2023)

Extremely unsatisfying.

The Wrath of Becky dir. Matt Angel & Suzanne Coote (2023)

I encourage this.

Kandahar dir. Ric Roman Waugh (2023)

We left these behind in 2003.

Well ABRIDGE Me, Princess! – “Well, Excuuuuse Me, Princess and the Frog” (2023)

Reuse and recycle.

Tales from the Crypt – Seasons 1-2 (1989-1990)

It finds its footing when the laugh appears.

Star Trek Lower Decks – Seasons 2-3 (2021-2022)

Top-tier Trek.

Star Trek Prodigy – Season 1 (2021)

Younger crowd, but I’m still in.